Message-ID: <01IA5W6NU5B696WGGN@faov02.fao.org> Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 09:59:00 +0002 From: "DelCastello, Riccardo (SDRE)" <mailto:Riccardo.DelCastello@FAO.ORG> Subject: FAO Report: Internet and Rural Development1 To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
Dear List Members,Kindly distribute the following message to other colleagues/friends who might be interested.
Thank you. Riccardo del Castello FAO ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
The Internet is not a panacea for the removal of constraints to rural development, but it does bring new information resources and can open new communication channels for rural communities. It offers a means for bridging the gaps between development professionals and rural people through interaction and dialogue, new alliances, inter-personal networks, and cross-sectoral links between organizations. It can create mechanisms that enable the bottom-up articulation and sharing of local knowledge.
In an effort to explore the relationship between the Internet and rural development the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (http://www.fao.org) in collaboration with the Department of Rural Extension Studies at the University of Guelph, Canada (http://tdg.uoguelph.ca/res) sponsored a fact finding mission. Attached is the executive summary from a report titled The Internet and Rural Development prepared by Dr. Don Richardson of the University of Guelph. The mission was organized through FAO's Programme of Cooperation with Academic and Research Institutions, and FAO's Sustainable Development Department's "Electronic Information Systems" working group, with funding from FAO and the University of Guelph.
The fact-finding mission took place between March and July of 1996, during which time the author met with individuals and organizations in Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Senegal, Egypt, Mexico and Chile.
This report outlines the elements of a communication for development approach applied to the Internet and rural development, together with recommendations for strategy and activity, and an overview of Internet activities in developing countries. It contains a series of pilot projects that should be of interest to the development community and which are available on request. A key recommendation for FAO is an Internet and development strategy focused on rural and agricultural communities and the intermediary agencies that serve those communities with advice, project support, research, extension, and training. The cornerstone of this strategy is capacity building activities for rural and agricultural organizations in order to create and enhance locally managed Internet use, tools and resources.
The recommendations and project ideas in this report may be of interest to other development agencies which have or are interested in supporting activities focused on developing Internet infrastructure and applications in developing countries. Collaboration among agencies supporting Internet and development initiatives can achieve important "multiplier" effects as agencies harmonize their efforts while insuring that their particular constituencies are served. The goal is for development agencies, in partnership with stakeholders, to make full use of Internet tools such as the World Wide Web and interactive discussion tools to assist rural development efforts.
We welcome comments and requests, for a full copy of the report and the project proposals please contact: Riccardo DelCastello, Facilitator Electronic Information Systems Working Group SDRE Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, Italy mailto:riccardo.delcastello@fao.org
The full report can also be found on the WWW at this address:
http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/sustdev/CDdirect/CDhomepg.htm
Stein W. Bie, Director, Research, Extension and Training Division Sustainable Development Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿExecutive Summary
The Internet and Rural Development: Recommendations for Strategy and Activity Prepared for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (August 1996) by Dr. Don Richardson, Rural Extension Studies, University of Guelph (mailto:drichard@uoguelph.ca) (http://tdg.uoguelph.ca/res)
"...the greatest potential of the technology lies in enabling us to do new things. This applies particularly to the people-centred approach to rural development. It calls for a review of priorities and goals by FAO. As many of the social prerequisites of sustainable development have fallen between rather than within any one of the traditional mandates of the UN technical agencies, new cooperative programs are called for to focus on these needs - using technology, the Internet, the World Wide Web..." - Bernard Woods ("Ceres", The FAO Review, No. 158 - March-April 1996) (http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/sustdev/DOdirect/DOEhomeB.htm)
Internet use and Internet services are expanding rapidly in developing countries. This expansion is, however, largely an urban phenomenon. People in rural areas are generally unable to take advantage of the services available to their urban peers. This report draws attention to rural development initiatives made possible through Internet services. It highlights specific strategy and action that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) can adopt to insure that rural communities and rural stakeholders benefit from the wide variety of Internet initiatives being sponsored and funded by international development agencies and the private sector in developing countries. FAO has an historic opportunity to help direct Internet expansion, in partnership with other agencies and donors, to meet the needs of rural and agricultural communities in developing countries.
Many development agencies are assisting with the expansion of indigenously managed Internet services in developing countries. Among them, FAO has pioneered a "communication for development" approach for catalyzing Internet services for rural stakeholders, an approach that begins with the needs of people in rural and agricultural communities. This report recommends activity for FAO, including expanding the use of the "communication for development" approach to initiate pilot projects linked to indigenous rural and agriculture organizations. An overall strategy for FAO would support action to:
Promote policy and regional coordination of Internet strategy for rural development Establish rural Internet pilot projects Promote FAO's communication for development approach Support efforts to liberalize telecommunication policies in developing countries Support local Internet entrepreneurs and other service providers in developing countries Assist stakeholders in advocating for Internet service provision and telecommunication infrastructure and policy improvements Orient existing FAO and related Internet information services to users in developing countries Support rural & agriculture educational sector Internet capability Provide Internet awareness building and demonstration Support rural and remote infrastructure development Support creative Internet applications and information services for rural development
All Internet initiatives must engage, as full partners in strategy development and action, the intermediary agencies that serve rural communities with development assistance, advice, research, extension, education, health services and training. Internet strategies also need to be developed in conjunction with intended beneficiaries and stakeholders through participatory planning techniques.
FAO can begin collaborating with other agencies in the implementation of small pilot projects designed to foster indigenous and appropriate use of the Internet in support of rural development. Pilot projects will help establish "best practices," provide avenues for sharing "lessons learned," and act as vehicles for expanding the impact of Internet initiatives, and enhance coordination. Collaborators might include:
1. Existing Internet policy and action groups such as: the African Networking Initiative (supported through Unesco, the International Telecommunication Union, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Bellanet); RedHUCyT (the Organization of American States (OAS) "Hemisphere-Wide Inter-University Scientific and Technological Information Network"; Capacity Building for Electronic Communication in Africa (CABECA, funded through IDRC and executed by the Pan African Development Information System (PADIS) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)); the UN Secretary General's Special Initiative on Africa; the Pan-Asian Network (sponsored by IDRC); and the Africa Internet Forum (comprising of the World Bank, USAID's Leland Initiative, the US State Department, NASA and the United Nations Development Programme's Sustainable Development Networking Project).
2. Bilateral financial organizations such as the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development that can assist in the development of locally relevant market information systems, and financial assistance packages to support the development of Internet services for rural communities.
3. Multi-lateral and bi-lateral agencies that can assist in co-ordinating and executing Internet activities for rural and agricultural development.
4. Non-governmental Organizations that specialize in the application of Internet tools, and which can assist in providing technical support, training, and awareness building (eg. The Internet Society, Volunteers in Technical Assistance, SangoNet, and the Pan African Development Information System (PADIS)).
5. Private sector bodies that can assist in developing appropriate technologies to provide rural and agricultural communities with Internet services, as well as providing low-cost or donated equipment to assist with project initiatives.
6. Educational institutions that can support Internet activities in rural areas in collaboration with rural stakeholders.
Today we truly live in a global village, but it is a village with elite "information haves" and many "information have-nots." Adopting a proactive strategy, and acting to bring the Internet to rural and agricultural communities in developing countries will help enable rural people to face the unprecedented challenges brought on by the changing global economy, dynamic political contexts, environmental degradation and demographic pressures. To deal with these challenges, and to make critical decisions, people at all levels of society, and especially the food insecure and the organizations that serve and represent them, must be able to access critical information and communicate. Improved communication and information access are directly related to social and economic development (World Bank, 1995). Participatory development is fully dependent upon communication and information sharing processes.
FAO can take leadership to ensure that rural and agricultural communities link electronic "village trails" to the "information super-highway."